Conditions: Very good and fast even with the warm temps.
Skate skied from 11am-noon today. The connector trail and south loop was very firm with all of the skiers that have been on it and kinda icy fast (but not unsafe icy). The tram and north loop was a tad bit softer but still it was a surprisingly fast day. Thought it would be softer heading out to the trail but so glad I went. Thankfully the base has been taken care of so far this winter. (Note: A hiker put a few too many holes in the trail but don't let that stop you from skiing just watch out for them).

(Brady Zwiefelhofer)

Conditions: Very good, verging on excellent.
The skiing was great this morning. The scenery could not have been better at first light. 1" of fresh snow on top of a fairly firm base. The skate deck was flattened nicely. The tracks are not very deep but there really isn't that much snow - yet! But, it was getting warm fast at 10:00am.

Photos:

(Mike Dahlby)

Conditions: Very good, recently groomed.
If your looking to ski here this weekend, a lot will depend on the type of precipitation that comes tonight and how warm it gets tomorrow! The entire trail was treated with a drag and groomed last night. Track was set on the South, North, Tram and Highland/Lowland Loops. Absent rain, an early ski on Saturday morning might just be great.

(Mike Dahlby)

Conditions: Pretty fast but not icy. Recently groomed.
Skate skied the north loop, tram, and highland trails today. The north loop including the tram looked to be groomed from about 11am to 12:30 today. It was pretty fast but finally wasn't rock hard and icy which made for some great controlled skiing. The grooming has been very well given what we have to work with. It is bumpy in some area especially on the highland loop but that's because lack of snow. You may want B+ skis. Still great so get out.

(Brady Zwiefelhofer)

Conditions: Excellent striding.
Great kick and glide today. Used rock skis but except for road crossings did not need to. Thank you to the groomers and for their time and talents making this underused jewel a wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors!

(Audun Mikkelson)

Conditions: Good to excellent.
Just in time for the warm up! The Friends of Hickory Ridge deployed their drag to flatten the trail, it was groomed, and track was set! The skiing was great today on the entire trail system. There are virtually no dirt or rocks on the trail and relatively few leaves and sticks. The groomer intends to groom again on Friday night if necessary. The logging contractors are doing a very conscientious job.

(Mike Dahlby)

Conditions: Getting close to excellent!
The entire trail system was rolled and combed - groomers did a great job and were smart to leave it alone until this morning. It is still a little bumpy but total coverage with several inches of base. The trail was a little soft this morning but skied great and should set up nicely. Fat bikers and snowshoers were also enjoying a very picturesque landscape! The plan is to groom and set a track tonight.

(Mike Dahlby)

Conditions: Good given wet conditions and low snow.
Trail was not groomed today due to the amount of moisture in the snow/warm temps. It appeared that 1-2" fell on trail last night. Groomer plans to head out before light tomorrow if snow conditions are appropriate. If he can groom, trail should be in fine shape. Tracks will be set if possible for the cold weather striders! There is an active logging operation near north loop but it presents no hazards for skiers, other than caution and walking across the Hickory Ridge Road.

(Mike Dahlby)

Conditions: Good and getting better!
All of the trails have been regroomed. It brought dirt up in spots so we skied around the south, north and tram and dug out any sticks, rocks and shoveled in the bare spots. All the trails looked white when we were done. The classic track is set on south, north and tram loops. Skiing is good and with some help from Mother Nature by the weekend it could be great!

Photos:

(Bill Zimmerman)

Conditions: Pretty good coverage, good skis are safe.
The base is still a little thin and bumpy but the coverage is good. No classic track yet. Isolated icy and wet spots. Hickory has begun grooming fat bike trails so you can bring more toys including snowshoes.

Photos:

(Bob Schwartz)